Iiyama ProLite XB2779QS preview: affordable WQHD monitor

A while ago we published a group test of 14 monitors with 2560 x 1440 resolution, or WQHD (wide quad hd). One of the participants was Iiyama, who sent us a second model shortly after the test, the ProLite XB2779QS. It's an impressive screen, as it has the same display panel Apple uses for its 27in monitors. It has very similar characteristics therefore, and a very reasonable price compared to the competition (especially Apple). It makes the XB2779QS a very interesting WQHD monitor with a striking design.

The Iiyama ProLite XB2779QS is available in black and silver, and we tested the silver version. That one of course looks the most like Apple's screen, but aside from the looks and the panel, the similarities pretty much end there. The significantly lower price (average of £468) means of course that the monitor is constructed in plastic instead of aluminium. On the other hand, you get more and better connectors than on Apple's screen.

The main drawback of this display panel that both the Apple and Iiyama monitors exhibit is a phenomenon we typically don't spend much time on called backlight bleeding. When the screen is dark or black, you can see the backlight around the edges which causes dark areas to be lighter than they should be. It's mostly visible in dark rooms when the screen has a high brightness setting. With normal ambient light and normal brightness settings, it's much less noticeable. You can read the rest of this preview on hardware.info,